Before going into this message, let us read carefully and prayerfully, please, the following parable, which was spoken by our Lord and is recorded in Luke 15:11-32:

"A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.' And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain to have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.

And when he came to himself, he said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants."' And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry.

Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, 'Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.' And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, 'Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.' And he said unto him, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.'"

Today, among God's people, there are thousands upon thousands who, it is true, do not profess to be backslidden; yet in reality their hearts and minds are far from God. Sad as it is, many of these are leaders, teachers, and preachers. It is possible to be backslidden to a serious degree and not fully realize it. Of course, in a sense everyone knows when he leaves the perfect will of God; and, like the prodigal son, starts on "his journey into a far country." Oh, think of the multitudes, while I sit here writing this tract, that have taken this journey and have wasted their substance (spiritual strength) in riotous living! And some among these actually -- or shall I say partially -- believe they have made a success since taking "the portion of the goods" that fell to them and moving abroad among the ungodly. As I have said, many of these poor, fallen saints are looked upon as being leaders among God's people. They do not seem to realize that they have left their first love, and are naked, cold and blind. It is the same with them as it was with the church at Sardis, "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Rev. 3:1).

The first step that a backslider takes on his return to God is becoming conscious of his condition. It is getting to be a very difficult task to get these last-day backsliders to recognize or admit their wrong. There is a strong satanic spirit, very prevalent in this end-of-time age, who would have every backslider, especially among the ministers, to justify himself in any error in which he might be living. This demon would not only have these poor children of God deceived in justifying themselves; but he even goes far enough to have them advocating that others should follow them in their evil practices.

Reader, in the name of the God of heaven, if you are among this number, who have strayed from the living God and have taken up in error and wrong living, don't teach others to follow in your pernicious ways; but be like the prodigal son and come to your senses before it is too late. You remember, "when he came to himself, he said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!'" This was the first step back home, and may it be yours. Can't you see that your substance (spiritual strength) is gone? Can't you see there is a mighty famine (spiritual) in the land? Can't you feel the want (need) of spiritual food? Don't forget, "no man gave unto him" (the prodigal son); and neither are they giving you anything. Come on, child of God, your father and elder brother are at home now enjoying the same substance that you have wasted. Will you not get on your knees right now and say, prayerfully: "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee?'" God will accept you. He will meet you at the gate. In fact, He is waiting now for you and will see you before you get there. He saw the prodigal son "when he was yet a great way off." Yes, and He will see you too.

If you have made the decision to return to God and ask His forgiveness, you have taken your second step; and now comes the third and final one. The prodigal son not only said, "I will arise and go to my father," but Scriptures tell us: "He arose and came to his father." His decision to arise and start back home was followed by action, and surely yours must be if you wish to return to God and enjoy perfect peace under the shadow of His omnipotent hand. Take this third and last step, dear fallen one. You will not have far to go alone. Just as soon as our heavenly father sees you coming, He will run out to meet you. When the prodigal son "was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." And not only this, "But the Father said to His servants, 'Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry.'" Why have all this ado, Lord? "For this, my son, was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."

Can't you see, dear reader, how it pleases God for one of His saints to be reclaimed and brought back home? Herein is ample encouragement for those who have wandered from the fold: "If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine that went not astray" (Matt. 18:12, 13). Doubtless, many who read this will wonder if it's possible for them to get forgiveness and feel the joy that they once felt. The answer is this: If you can come to yourself and realize your lost condition and then feel the desire to arise and come back to God, you still have a chance. The desire is proof of the chance.

"Forgive them" were the sweetest words that fell from the quivering lips of Jesus while He was on the cross. This same spirit of forgiveness must be the very alpha of the prodigal before he can be welcomed back home by his heavenly Father. The spirit of forgiveness is one of the loveliest flowers that ever blossomed in the garden of the soul. There is nothing that brings more joy to the soul than to forgive one for injuries committed. And how much more does God rejoice when He forgives one of His dear children who comes back from a long backslidden journey and wants to be renewed for service in the kingdom of God? No prodigal is permitted back home until he can say from the depth of his heart, "I forgive," because "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

There is nothing that produces such appalling spiritual decay as the absence of a forgiving spirit. It is, indeed, a sad and pathetic sight to see one who is claiming to live the life of a believer holding grudges and malice towards another. The spirit that lifted the kneeling Stephen far above the nameless men who stoned him to death must accompany every prodigal to his Father's house. Can't you hear the spirit of this early martyr still saying: "Lay not this sin to their charge"? Oh, how it rings in the heart of every child of God! And as its chimes get louder for this last-day revival, I feel that many who have left the truth are soon going to be traveling homeward to meet God for a greater light and service; and may I say this to help every prodigal in getting readjusted: Don't let the elder son, with his criticism, hinder you. It is true, he doesn't know how poor a backslider feels; therefore, he may become angry when he hears the music and dancing; but God will take care of that. Reader, if you are not as happy as you once were, and the love of God has leaked out of your life, you come on back home. God wants you - and you need Him. Will you come? It doesn't matter whether you claim to be backslidden or not. Your co-workers in the Lord may not have courage enough to tell you where you are, but they still know, you know, and God knows.

May God help every backslider, whether partially or completely, who reads this tract to find his or her way back home to God and to a deeper walk in the way of righteousness. God invites us, indeed, expects us. Best of all, God brings us home to Himself. He is "our eternal home." We come from Him and return to Him. William Wordsworth's great "Ode" sings it beautifully:

"....trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home."

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